For a glimpse of some of the work Fordham's group did this week, check out this article from the local newspaper Houma Today, featuring Fordham SHN board member George Kottas.

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090110/ARTICLES/901109982?Title=Want_a_copy_of_Lafourche_s_storm_plan__No_problem

New Orleans- January 2009

With a new year comes a new group of Fordham students volunteering in New Orleans. 25 students and 1 staff member have traveled down and begin working on Monday the 5th. We have volunteers working at the Sierra Club, Disaster Accountability Project, and the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center.

Thanks from LJI

We got this great thank-you from the Louisiana Justice Institute-- we're glad we were able to help out!

Dear Dean Treanor:

In early January, the Louisiana Justice Institute had the pleasure of hosting law student volunteers from Fordham Law School. I am writing now to commend your students for their excellent work. It was also a pleasure for us to have the students with us for the week; they brought great energy and life to our office.

As a small non-profit legal advocacy organization based in New Orleans, we rely heavily on volunteers for much of our research and writing, as well as our large-scale information gathering and outreach projects. The volunteers from Fordham were key in helping us with a number of projects, including our FEMA Trailer Survey and Outreach project, in which volunteers surveyed and provided critical information to FEMA trailer residents facing imminent eviction from their trailers.

I hope you continue to lend support and encourage your law students to come to the Gulf Coast during breaks and over their summer vacations. We continue to struggle to rebuild and renew New Orleans and we will continue to welcome volunteers with open arms.

Thank you,

Lauren Bartlett
Staff Attorney*
Louisiana Justice Institute

Working in New Orleans this week!

Hey all-- just a quick shout-out from the 32 strong Fordham SHN contingency working in New Orleans during a cold New Years week. This year we're working at the Pro Bono Project, the Orleans Public Defenders Office, and with the Louisiana Institute for Justice. More to report as the week and new year progress!

Police Clash With Protesters at NOLA City Hall

http://www.wdsu.com/news/14890551/detail.html

Gearing up for the winter!

This year's SHN board is currently working hard to find placements for the great number of students who have shown interest in this year's trip! We plan on travelling to the Gulf Coast 12/30-01/05 this year.

Shout out to Hillary!

On October 1st, the Louisiana Supreme Court and State Bar Association honored our all-star PIRC director Hillary Exter for all the work she's done and continues to do both within our SHN chapter an beyond! We couldn't be happier and can't think of anyone who deserves this more!

From Fordham Law's press release (http://law.fordham.edu/ihtml/news-2details.ihtml?id=612&nid=629):

The Supreme Court of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Bar Association honored Director of Student Organizations & Publicity of Fordham Law's Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) Hillary Exter along with other attorneys and legal services professionals in a New Orleans ceremony on October 1.Ms. Exter has worked alongside over 60 Fordham Law students and faculty as part of each Student Hurricane Network legal delegation to the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina and Rita hit.

In addition to her position with Fordham Law, Exter has done pro bono work with the Advancement Project, New Orleans Worker Justice Coalition, New Orleans Worker Center for Racial Justice, Orleans Public Defenders, New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, and the Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund.